Bits and Pieces

Town has no proof that TAC was to blame for Franke resignation

Last month, we wrote about the Tourism Advisory Commission(TAC) Then, earlier this month we reported that the Town Council had voted to dissolve it. One point we wanted to examine further was the assertion by Town Manager Jeff Wilkins and Mayor Joe Winfield that Crystal Franke, the Town’s former tourism and marketing manager, resigned to take another position because of her experience with the TAC. We had asked Franke directly, and she neither affirmed nor denied that assertion. So we specifically asked the Town for documentation showing that Franke herself had identified TAC as a reason for leaving. The Town could not provide such documentation. All it provided was an email from Wilkins to the Council attributing Franke’s resignation to TAC. We then asked a second time and were told that the town had provided all information it had on the matter. Our conclusion: Saying something is so does not make it so.

Town releases simplified 2027 town budget guide

The Town of Oro Valley has released its FY 2026/27 Know Your Town’s Budget summary, a resident-friendly guide intended to make the Town’s finances easier to understand. The guide explains how the budget works, how Town funds support services and facilities, and key facts such as Oro Valley not having a municipal property tax. Town Manager Jeff Wilkins said the summary is intended to improve transparency and help residents better understand how public dollars are used. (Source:  Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Amphi implements barrier between CDO and the Aquatic Center parking lots...creates a problem with parking for shared events
The Amphitheater School District has closed the stairway connecting the Canyon del Oro High School east parking lot with the Town’s Aquatic Center parking lot at James D. Kriegh Park. For years, with District permission, the Town has used the school lot for overflow parking during major Aquatic Center events as well as other events. Closing the stairway means visitors who park in the east lot must now walk around the school property and enter the park from Calle Concordia, a considerably longer route that will be especially difficult for people with physical limitations. The stairs have also long provided a direct route to school for students living nearby. As the panel shows, the access has now been blocked by substantial fencing. It is welded to the railing. We do not yet know why the District closed the stairway or whether the decision was coordinated with the Town. LOVE will investigate.

Kriegh Park evening resident access and parking problems are getting harder to ignore... Youth safety a concern
James D. Kriegh Park is increasingly difficult for residents to use in the evenings because CDO Little League occupies much of the park six days a week for roughly ten months of the year under an agreement involving the Town. During busy periods, pedestrian access around the park is limited, families and spectators crowd portions of the sidewalk, and the Aquatic Center parking lot can become completely full, with vehicles spilling in from surrounding areas. [see panel left]. The newly closed stairway from the CDO High School east parking lot makes the situation worse by eliminating an overflow access point that has been used for years.

In the short term, the Town needs to address access, parking and safety. In the longer term, it needs to develop a better arrangement; one that accommodates Little League while also preserving reasonable evening access to a public park for Oro Valley residents.

HallOVeen Spooktacular returns October 17
Oro Valley Parks and Recreation will hold its free HallOVeen Spooktacular on Saturday, October 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. at James D. Kriegh Park, 23 W. Calle Concordia. The family-friendly event will include a Trunk-or-Treat hosted by local businesses, music, jumping castles, food trucks, kids’ crafts and other activities.

Friday Night Concerts at Steam Pump Ranch return tonight
Oro Valley’s free Friday Night Concert series returns to Steam Pump Ranch beginning tonight. The concert features Rainy Daze. It runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Additional concert dates are October 2, October 23 and November 6, featuring Your Money’s Worth, Good Trouble and Ones All Band. Residents can bring a chair or blanket and their own food, while food trucks will also be available. Admission and parking are free; outside alcohol is not permitted.

Tourism consultant is now the Town’s destination marketing manager
Kevin “Addy” Coleman, Oro Valley’s new Destination Marketing Manager, brings more than 25 years of tourism marketing consulting experience, much of it with Tucson-based Madden Media, a Tucson-based marketing agency specializing in travel, tourism and destination marketing. There, he worked as a consultant to destinations around the country, specializing in destination strategy, digital marketing and measuring results. Oro Valley represents a significant change: Rather than advising tourism organizations from the outside, Coleman will be responsible for delivering results. (Source: OV Edge September 2026, Linkedin)
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